‘Pursue and kill’: Iran Guards vow to eliminate ‘child-killing’ Netanyahu

Amid rumours about his assassination circulating online, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Sunday vowed to “pursue and kill” Benjamin Netanyahu, describing him as a “child-killing criminal”.

“The unknown fate of the Zionist criminal prime minister and the possibility of his death or escape, along with his family, from the occupied territories show the crisis and weakening situation of the Zionists,” the Guards said in a statement, according to Iranian state media.

“If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps added.

The threat came just hours after the office of Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed social media rumours about his assassination, saying the Israeli premier was “fine”.

Rumours on social media

Speculation began spreading online after a video posted on Netanyahu’s X account appeared to show the Israeli leader with six fingers on one hand, prompting claims that the footage had been manipulated or generated using artificial intelligence.

Rumours were also fuelled by claims involving Netanyahu’s son, Yair Netanyahu, after some users pointed out that he had not posted on his X account since March 9 and speculated about a supposed “family tragedy”.

However, Grok, the AI chatbot on X, debunked the claims. It said the extra finger seen in the video was simply a visual illusion, not evidence of a manipulated clip.

The chatbot also fact-checked rumours about an alleged deleted post from the Israeli prime minister’s office. When asked about claims that “Netanyahu has been assassinated”, a spokesperson from the PM’s office said the reports were “fake news” and reiterated that he was safe.

Israel–Iran conflict backdrop

Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated sharply since the October 7, 2023 attack on Jerusalem by the militant group Hamas, which Israel considers an Iranian proxy.

The two countries have clashed repeatedly since then, with tensions rising further last year during a brief but intense conflict involving the United States.

Amid ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme, joint US-Israeli strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran responded by launching attacks not only against Israel but also against US bases and allied facilities across the Middle East, pushing the confrontation toward a wider regional conflict.